Investigation of the Effects of Cryogenic Treatment on the Friction and Wear Properties of 36CrB4 Boron Steel

36CrB4 boron steel can be alternative steel of 42CrMo4 according to researchers in terms of material cost. As this kind of steel has superior toughness, good ductility, and good wear resistance, it can be used in lots of industrial applications. Cryogenic treatment is defined as permanent treatment affecting the entire cross section of the materials. Several investigations have been made for investigating the effect of cryogenic treatment on the different kinds of steel. Until recently, there are few studies about the application of the cryogenic treatment on boron steels in the literature. This study investigates the effect of cryogenic treatment which provides an improvement in wear properties on 36CrB4 alloy. The cryogenic-treated 36CrB4 alloy is characterized by wear, friction, and microstructure properties. The optimum cryogenic process parameters for 36CrB4 alloy are determined. The wear resistance of all cryogenically treated specimens was improved in comparison with untreated ones. According to the obtained results from abrasive and adhesive wear tests, the highest wear resistance is obtained for specimen deep cryogenically treated at – 196 °C for 36 h after the traditional heat treatment and then tempered at 250 °C.